The present disclosure relates to a connection device between a pipe and a base having a tubular segment provided with a collar. This type of device is of particular interest in the automotive field, and more specifically for the connection of fluid pipes.
Documents EP2759757, US2008048447, EP1781979, WO2019096596, EP0579194, US20180238479 disclose such connection devices. A lock, generally C-shaped, is clipped around a connection element to keep it attached to the base. These devices can have the drawback of requiring a certain amount of manipulation space to be able to unlock the connection, for example, by manual pressing on the front of the lock in order to separate the legs from the latter and to release the connection element from the base. This can prove impractical and make this operation difficult, especially when the connection element is not very accessible. In addition, in some of these devices, the lock does not necessarily remain attached to the connection element during unlocking, which can lead to its loss during the disconnection operation.
One object of the present disclosure is to provide a connection device which differs from the state of the art. More precisely, one object of the present disclosure is to provide a device that is simple to unlock, and in a smaller working space than that necessary for unlocking the connection devices of the state of the art.
In order to achieve this aim, the object of the present disclosure is to propose a connection device between at least one pipe and a base having a tubular segment on which a collar is mounted, the connection device comprising a connection end piece intended for fluidly connecting the pipe to the base and a retaining ring intended to keep the connection end piece attached to the base:
According to other advantageous and non-limiting features of the present disclosure, taken alone or in any technically feasible combination:
Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of example embodiments of the disclosure, which is provided with reference to the appended drawings, in which:
The purpose of the connection device 100 is to connect a pipe (not shown in the figures) to a base 3 having a tubular segment 30 topped by a collar 31. The connection device 100 comprises a connection end piece 1 and a retaining ring 2. The connection end piece 1 is intended for fluidically connecting the pipe to the base 3, and the retaining ring 2 is in turn intended to keep the connection end piece 1 attached to the base 3. The connection configuration is of the female type on the base 3 side and of the male type on the connection end piece 1 side.
Advantageously, the connection end piece 1 and the retaining ring 2 are formed from a plastic material such as PA6.6 GF30 (a mixture of nylon and fiberglass).
The connection end piece 1 comprises a tubular body 10 having a first end 10a and a second end 10b. The first end 10a is intended to be inserted, along a main axis A, in the tubular segment 30 of the base 3 (
The connection end piece 1 can have different geometries, in particular an angled shape, like the connection devices 100 of
The tubular body 10 is also provided, on its first end 10a, with a groove for accommodating a seal 7 in order to seal the connection with the base 3. Optionally, the tubular body 10 can also be provided, on its first end 10a, with a second groove to accommodate a second seal in order to form a double seal.
In order to keep the connection end piece 1 attached to the retaining ring 2, and also to allow it to be detached, the connection end piece 1 comprises at least one first retaining element 11, 11′. In the advantageous example illustrated in particular in
Advantageously, the free end 11a of the flexible arms 11 is bent outward to facilitate their manipulation.
The flexible arms 11 can be brought closer to the tubular body 10, owing to the free space 14 between the tubular body 10 and the flexible arms 11 (
Advantageously, the lug 12 comprises an inclined plane 12a to facilitate the insertion of the connection end piece 1 into the retaining ring 2. Optionally, the free end 11a can be provided with an opening 11b (
The retaining ring 2 comprises an annular body 20 and at least one flexible locking tab 21. In the advantageous example illustrated in particular in
The retaining ring 2 extends generally around the tubular body 10 of the connection end piece 1 and around the collar 31 of the base 3, substantially defining the overall volume of the connection interface of the connection device 100 on the base 3.
The two locking tabs 21 are rigidly connected to the annular body 20 and extend along the main axis A for gripping the collar 31 and keeping the retaining ring 2 attached to the base 3. There is a free space 23 (
The annular body 20 comprises at least one second retaining element 22, 22′; advantageously, it comprises two second retaining elements 22 to cooperate with the first retaining elements 11 of the connection end piece 1, and to secure the retaining ring 2 on the connection end piece 1 (
In the example illustrated in particular in
In the connection device 100 according to the present disclosure, the connections between the connection end piece 1 and the retaining ring 2, and between the retaining ring 2 and the base 3, are made in interior spaces of the retaining ring 2. The disconnection between the connection end piece 1 and the ring 2 (fixed to the base 3) can be carried out without increasing the overall bulk of the connection device 100, the overall bulk at the connection interface being substantially defined by the outer contours of the retaining ring 2. The disconnection between the retaining ring 2 and the base 3 can be done without significantly increasing the bulk, by moving the locking tab(s) 21 outward.
In the examples illustrated by
In the remainder of the description, only the embodiment of
Advantageously, the retaining ring 2 comprises keying recesses 25 for orienting the connection end piece 1 relative to the retaining ring 2 during their assembly, and ensuring the alignment of the first retaining elements 11 and of the second retaining elements 22.
Optionally, the connection device 100 can also comprise an immobilizing part 4 intended to be inserted between the tubular body 10 and the flexible arm 11 to fill the free space 14 and block the approach of the flexible arms 11. This immobilizing part 4 is used in particular to prevent the accidental disconnections that are likely to occur during assembly via impacts, or during use due to extremely severe vibration profiles in confined spaces. In fact, depending on the intensity of the frequencies of the vibrations, relative movements between the elements of the connection device 100 may take place. This phenomenon, combined with the circulation of a fluid in the connection device 100, can present risks of disconnection. It may thus be desirable, in this particular case of extreme conditions, to secure the holding of the flexible arms 11 on the retaining ring 2.
The immobilizing part 4 has the shape of a U-shaped staple comprising an immobilizing leg 40, an attachment leg 41 and a pressure leg 42, formed in the extension of the attachment leg 41. The immobilizing leg 40 is intended to be inserted between the flexible arm 11 and the tubular body 10 to fill the free space 14. The attachment leg 41 is provided on its internal face with an attachment lug 43 to clip onto the free end 11a of the flexible arm 11. The attachment lug 43 can of course be clipped onto another part of the flexible arm 11, such as an opening or cavity formed for this purpose, or even clipped onto the retaining ring 2. The pressure leg 42 is intended to unclip, by means of pressure, the attachment leg 41 from the flexible arm 11.
Immobilizing a single flexible arm 11 is sufficient to prevent the connection end piece 1 from being removed from the retaining ring 2. However, provision can be made to use two immobilizing parts 4 to immobilize the two flexible arms 11, or to use an immobilizing part 4 having a geometry allowing the simultaneous immobilization of the two flexible arms 11.
Furthermore, and still optionally, the retaining ring 2 can be provided with an extension 5. This extension 5 acts as an intermediary between the retaining ring 2 and the connection end piece 1, as can be seen on the connection device 100c of
Advantageously, the connection device 100 can be provided with a visual indicator of proper assembly 6 (
The visual indicator of proper assembly 6 is a movable part arranged between the retaining ring 2 and the connection end piece 1, a part 61a of which becomes visible, here through slots 27 formed on the retaining ring 2, when the connection device 100 is correctly attached on the base 3. It may be a ring 60 provided with two vertical uprights 61 which extend axially along the main axis A and each comprise a free end 61a, as shown in
A pre-assembly step is necessary before the connection device 100 can be used. This step makes it possible to attach, and to maintain attached, the retaining ring 2 to the connection end piece 1 so as to form the connection device 100 (
The connection end piece 1 is previously oriented with respect to the retaining ring 2 in order to make the second end(s) 10b of the connection end piece 1 coincide with the keying recesses 25 of the retaining ring 2. This particular orientation makes it possible to align the second retaining elements 22 of the retaining ring 2 with the lugs 12 of the connection end piece 1.
Pressure is then exerted on the connection end piece 1 to assemble it to the retaining ring 2. When the connection end piece 1 is inserted through the retaining ring 2, the inclined plane 12a of the lugs 12 of the flexible arms 11 comes into contact against the retaining ring 2 and guides the approach of the flexible arms 11 against the tubular body 10. This approach allows the lugs 12 to pass into the retaining ring 2 so that they can be clipped onto the second retaining elements 22 of the retaining ring 2.
At the end of this pre-assembly step, the connection device 100 is in the state illustrated in
According to a variant of the present disclosure, an extension 5 can be attached during this step between the retaining ring 2 and the connection end piece 1. The first end 10a of the connection end piece 1 is inserted through the second end 5b of the extension 5, aligning the second retaining elements 52 of the extension 5 with the lugs 12 of the connection end piece 1, to keep the connection end piece 1 attached to the extension 5. The first end 5a of the extension 5 is then inserted into the retaining ring 2. The flexible arms 51 of the extension 5 deform, then clip to the retaining ring 2, similarly to the flexible arms 11 of the connection end piece 1. At the end of this variant, the connection device 100 is found in the state illustrated by the connection device 100c of
Optionally, after the pre-assembly step, an immobilizing part 4 can be inserted on one of the flexible arms 11, 51 to immobilize its movement and prevent the detachment of the connection device 100 (
Once the pre-assembly step has been carried out, the connection device 100 is then fitted into the tubular segment 30 of the base 3, during an attachment step (
The first end 10a of the connection end piece 1 is inserted into the base 3 until the locking tabs 21 of the retaining ring 2 come into contact against the collar 31. The inclined plane 26′ of the locking lugs 26 comes into contact against the collar 31 and guides the radial separation of the locking tabs 21 until the locking lugs 26 are clipped onto the collar 31, which secures the retaining ring 2 to the base 3.
At the end of this assembly step, the connection device 100 is in the state illustrated by
According to another variant, the connection device 100 comprises a visual indicator of proper assembly 6. The visual indicator of proper assembly 6 is advantageously kept attached to the retaining ring 2, for example, owing to the locking tabs 21, the ring 60 resting on the locking lugs 26. During the insertion of the connection device 100, the collar 31 of the base 3 comes into contact against the ring 60 of the visual indicator of proper assembly 6. This contact causes axial and/or radial sliding of the visual indicator of proper assembly 6, within the connection device 100, until it occupies a final position when the connection device 100 is correctly connected to the base 3. In this final position, the free end 61a of the vertical uprights 61 of the visual indicator of proper assembly 6 is flush with the upper surface of the retaining ring 2, for example through a slot 27, and thus gives a visual indication of proper assembly.
Once the connection device 100 has been attached to the base 3, it remains possible to disconnect the connection end piece 1 from the base 3. To do this, it is necessary to remove the immobilizing part 4 beforehand, if it is present, by exerting pressure manually or by means of a tool, on the pressure leg 42, so as to cause the separation of the attachment leg 41 and to remove the attachment lug 43 from the free end 11a of the flexible arm 11. It is then possible to exert pressure on the free end 11a of the flexible arm 11, manually or via various tools, in order to bring the flexible arms 11 radially closer to one another. This approach makes it possible to remove the lugs 12 from the second retaining elements or shoulders. Since the connection end piece 1 is then no longer clipped to the retaining ring 2, it is possible to remove it while leaving the retaining ring 2 attached to the base 3 (
During this disconnection, it is important to note that the volume of the connection device 100 does not increase, since the deformation necessary to perform the disconnection occurs within the volume already occupied by the connection device 100. The disconnection is possible without affecting the compactness of the connection device, which is an important advantage, in particular when the connection device 100 is placed in a confined space.
In addition, the disconnection is carried out by interacting with the upper part of the connection device 100, through the free ends 11a of the flexible arms 11, which makes it possible to facilitate unlocking, the free ends 11a being easily accessible and handling requiring a reduced workspace.
It is also possible, following the removal of the connection end piece 1 from the retaining ring 2, to disconnect the retaining ring 2 from the base 3. A tool can be inserted into the free space 23 to exert pressure on the locking tab 21 in order to remove the locking lugs 26 from the collar 31, which allows the retaining ring 2 to be removed. This disconnection can also be carried out manually, by moving the free end of the locking tabs 21 away or by putting pressure on the upper part of the locking tabs 21, close to the keying elements 25, to remove the locking lugs 26 from the collar 31 by tilting.
Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described and it is possible to add variants without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.
Although a connection end piece comprising two first retaining elements has been illustrated, it would of course be possible to envisage a different number of these elements, for example between one and four, by adapting the number of second retaining elements accordingly.
Finally, although here we have given as an example and described a configuration where the retaining ring is provided with two locking tabs, it is of course possible to imagine configurations with a single locking tab, or a greater number of tabs, such as three tabs.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
FR2009125 | Sep 2020 | FR | national |
This application is a national phase entry under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Patent Application PCT/EP2021/072298, filed Aug. 10, 2021, designating the United States of America and published as International Patent Publication WO 2022/053246 A1 on Mar. 17, 2022, which claims the benefit under Article 8 of the Patent Cooperation Treaty to French Patent Application Serial No. FR2009125, filed Sep. 9, 2020.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/EP2021/072298 | 8/10/2021 | WO |